Lyme disease is a vector-borne infection, primarily transmitted by Ixodes ticks, and caused by Borrelia burgdorferi. It has a wide distribution in the northern hemisphere. In Korea, however, only one human case has been reported, although B. burgdorferi was isolated from the vector tick I. persulcatus in the region. A 60-year-old male and a 45-year-old female developed the clinical sign of erythema migrans. Each patients were bitten by a tick four weeks and five weeks, respectively, before entering the hospital. On serologic examination, significantly increased IgM and IgG antibody titers to B. burgdorferi were observed in consecutive tests performed at an interval of two weeks. They responded well to treatment with tetracycline.
Case Report ; Erythema Chronicum Migrans/pathology* ; Erythema Chronicum Migrans/immunology ; Erythema Chronicum Migrans/drug therapy ; Female ; Human ; Korea ; Lyme Disease/pathology* ; Lyme Disease/immunology ; Lyme Disease/drug therapy ; Male ; Middle Age

A two-year-old male Pointer had been presented with anorexia, cachexia, and weight loss of 10-day duration. Upon physical examination, fever, lethargy, superficial lymph node enlargement, and tick infestation were noted. The only abnormality in CBC and serum chemistry analyses was mild hyperglobulinemia. Spleen was enlarged by radiography, and the lymph nodes showed neutrophilic lymphadenitis by cytological examination. A polymerase chain reaction test for babesiosis and commercial ELISA tests for Ehrlichia canis, heartworm, and Lyme disease was negative except for Lyme disease, which was verified by both an IFA-IgG test and a quantitative C6 assay. Doxycycline was administered for 2 weeks and the recovery was uneventful. Post-treatment C6 titer decreased to within normal limits.
Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use ; Dog Diseases/*diagnosis/drug therapy/epidemiology/pathology ; Dogs ; Doxycycline/therapeutic use ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/veterinary ; Korea/epidemiology ; Lyme Disease/drug therapy/epidemiology/pathology/*veterinary ; Lymph Nodes/pathology ; Male ; Spleen/radiography

Spirochetes were isolated from the midgut of Ixodes persulcatus ticks captured at Chungju, Korea and identified as Borrelia afzelii strains by polymerase chain reaction. To determine the pathogenicity of the B. afzelii strains isolated in Korea, the microbiological and pathological features of Lyme disease were observed in C3H/He mice after intraperitoneal inoculation of the fresh isolate of B. afzelii strain. The results are summarized as follows 1) The Borrelia were detected in the tissues of heart, spleen, kidney, urinary bladder and knee joint within 7 days after inoculation of infection by dark field microscopic examination. The isolation rate from heart, urinary bladder and joint was significantly higher than the rate from spleen, kidney, and blood samples. 2) The Borrelia was detected in heart muscle by indirect immunofluorescent antibody test. 3) Antibody to the Borrelia was detected as early as one week after inoculation. 4) The marked tropism of the Borrelia was observed in myocardial, urinary tract and joint tissue. The main pathological features are inflammation in tissues of heart, kidney, joint and urinary bladder. From these results, the Borrelia afzelii strain isolated in Korea were determined as pathogenic strain.
Animals ; Borrelia burgdorferi Group* ; Borrelia burgdorferi* ; Borrelia* ; Chungcheongbuk-do ; Heart ; Inflammation ; Ixodes ; Joints ; Kidney ; Knee Joint ; Korea* ; Lyme Disease ; Mice ; Myocardium ; Pathology ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Spirochaetales ; Spleen ; Ticks ; Tropism ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Tract ; Virulence*